A device of some kind used to restrict a character's [[PowerLevels power level]] or super power.

These can [[DramaPreservingHandicap lighten the load]] on the SortingAlgorithmOfEvil or give new characters a chance to shine. Releasing these limiters in time of need may be difficult:* If the limiting was [[WillfullyWeak voluntary]], it's AlwaysNeedWhatYouGaveUp...* [[IAmNotLeftHanded Releasing a previously unmentioned power limiter]] can provide a last minute save against a particularly powerful BigBad. If done badly, the device becomes a plot device the author [[AssPull pulled out of their ass]]. A reader expects [[{{Foreshadowing}} clues]] that the limit was in place before the character says they're going to release it.

The reasons for this can be because their powers are [[AfraidOfTheirOwnStrength too dangerous]] or too [[PowerIncontinence uncontrollable]] to be let loose at their fullest all the time. A person may also willingly wear a PowerLimiter as a form of training, as training with their power suppressed helps increase their power. Weighted clothing is often used in this fashion, in fiction and RealLife.

The upgraded version is the PowerNullifier, which outright [[BroughtDownToNormal removes superhuman abilities]]. This can sometimes be combined with PowerCrutch (things that let them focus their power) especially for those with incontinence issues.

See also RestrainingBolt, WeaksauceWeakness, CoverBlowingSuperpower, ShedArmorGainSpeed, IAmNotLeftHanded and HoldingBackThePhlebotinum.

----!!Examples:

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[[folder:Anime & Manga]]* The first two seasons of ''[[Franchise/LyricalNanoha Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha]]'' featured 10-year-old girls with PowerLevels exceeding the power meter of 1,000,000 points, and then introduced many other characters able to match them. When the series proved popular enough to go on to a [[Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikers third season]], government-required power limiters were introduced to knock them down several ranks, with them only able to use full power when authorized by a high-ranking Bureau member.** The new recruits have power limiters of their own; after getting their devices, they have a four-stage limiter set on them, which restricts how much power and what abilities they can use. One stage typically gets removed just before every major battle, so they can more easily get accustomed to their devices.** In the aftermath of ''[=StrikerS=]'' Lutecia and Agito are also given limiters, reducing them to mage rank D for the duration of their probation.* The Evangelions have these in ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' in the form of their armor, which doesn't serve to protect the Eva and its pilot as much as it serves to [[spoiler:limit the Evangelions' power and allow humans to control the Eva]]. If an Eva [[spoiler:goes ''really'' berserk, it can actually break the armor from the inside, but this requires a strength of mind that pretty much exceeds any human's ability, and if the human pilot becomes so synchronised with the Eva that this can happen (this requires the human to have a ''400%'' synch ratio), that pilot's probably not coming back]].** Unit-02 in ''Anime/RebuildOfEvangelion'' is shown to not only possess armor, but actual limiters implanted into its back which release once [[spoiler:Mari unlocks the Eva's beast mode]].* Used by the goddesses in ''Manga/AhMyGoddess'' in the form of jewelry. Releasing them without permission is a big no-no, but Kami seems to be a bit flexible about this depending on situation and especially the personality of the goddess; Urd is often the ButtMonkey of this compared to her more foward-thinking but much more ([[InformedAbility dangerously]]) powerful sister Belldandy. When Urd's mother Hild comes to Earth for a visit, she admits her excessive amount of gaudy jewelry (a total of ''twenty'' pieces, each one a separate power limiter comparable to the ''one'' that Belldandy wears) is mostly to keep her ''arrival'' from leaving their home a smoking crater. In fact, if Hild were to remove ''all'' her limiters while on Earth, she'd be a danger to the planet simply by ''existing''.** Belldandy isn't more powerful than Urd. It's directly stated by Belldandy that Urd is more powerful than her, and Belldandy CannotTellALie. It's just that as a Goddess First Class she's able to ''access'' far more of her power than Urd. When Urd took the exam for promotion to First Class, we got a glimpse of her true power. Which overwhelmed Peorth, a Goddess First Class who's supposed to be a close match to Belldandy in power.** Shortly after Urd arrives, she explains to Keiichi that she needs to 'upload his DNA to the computers' since he's bonded with Belldandy. [[spoiler:(She just thought the reason Keiichi needed some 'tutoring' and that was why he hadn't slept with Belldandy yet.]] When Belldandy interrupts this, she explains that Urd's lying, among other things, are why Urd is a goddess second-class. She says nothing about Urd being ''less'' powerful then her.* ''Manga/FushigiYuugiGenbuKaiden'' has Hikitsu put an eyepatch (or [[BandagedBabe bandages]]) over his right eye, where his symbol is located. If it isn't covered, he can easily see into another person's heart, make them relive horrible memories to make them remember details, [[NewPowersAsThePlotDemands inexplicably view the memories held within an inanimate object]] and similar.* Alucard from ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}'' uses the "Control Art Restriction System", which divides his powers into six levels, with Five as his weakest and Zero his strongest. Considering how ridiculously overpowered he is, enemies tend not to be [[BloodKnight worthy enough]] to have him unlock any levels. When he reaches Level Zero, [[strike:''run'']] kill yourself. Fortunately, he can't go full-power on his own accord -- full release requires approval from Integra Helsing. Mostly. When under threat, he can release a few restrictions until the threat is destroyed.** Also of note, his state of dress also indicates what power level he is at. From least to most powerful, they are his red coat-and-hat ensemble, a black body suit covered in leather straps, and [[spoiler:at Level Zero, a full suit of medieval plate-mail from the days when he was called Vlad the Impaler, a.k.a. {{Dracula}}]].* A-Ko, from the parody series ''Anime/ProjectAKo'', wears Wonder Woman-like bracers to keep her from crushing everything she picks up. This is because she is implied with as much subtlety as a brick to the nuts to be ''the daughter of Superman and Wonder Woman''.* Weights in clothing are a popular method to use for this in Shōnen manga and anime series. ** The weighted training clothes that Son Goku and Piccolo (Jr.) wear are used to this effect in the Piccolo Jr. Saga and Saiyan Saga of ''Anime/DragonBallZ''. However, the ever-increasing power threshold of the show quickly leads to the effect becoming meaningless and replaced with [[SuperMode super modes]] and [[FusionDance fusing]]. Goku never takes his off ([[ClothingDamage intentionally]]) and Piccolo only removes his for [[TheCoatsAreOff dramatic effect]]. In the Otherworld Tournament arc, a Namek-like figure named Pikkon (who Goku eventually fights in the finals) uses the technique as well. Goku appreciates this because he'd also been holding back, and both decided then to cut loose.*** Ironically, this ultimately ends up to still be the case. In 'Revival of F', Piccolo removes his and throws it to some Frieza Soldiers, who despite having vastly increased their power by this point, can't even hold up his ''hat'', revealing the weight has been ''drastically'' increased. ** Majin Buu has his good half, Fat Buu. At the expense of use of a large portion of his power, fat Buu provides Super Buu with some much needed sanity and the idea of self-preservation.** Most notably in ''Dragon Ball Z'', Broly of the movies wears a technological device created by his father designed to keep him from using too much of his power and going berserk. It causes the "Super Saiyan" trademark gold hair to take on a turquoise hue instead. By the time he becomes angry enough, his power overloads the device and he achieves his maximum power, growing almost triple his normal size in muscle mass yet sacrificing none of his speed. It becomes quite obvious why his father was so adamant about keeping him under control...** Freeza has an interesting variation: his transformations. His final and most powerful form is his natural state: all of his weaker forms are deliberately designed to keep his power in check. It's obvious why: when he finally does go all-out against Goku, he starts strong, almost evenly matched, but quickly burns out and loses power at a drastic rate.** Rock Lee from ''Manga/{{Naruto}}''. He jumps on top of a structure and takes off his leg weights, prompting those watching to remark on the futility of casting them off since shedding a few dozen pounds wouldn't a difference. Lee then tosses them aside, where they land with a thunderous ground-cracking slam and forming small craters while he takes off, showing that he his leg weights were ludicrously heavy. Afterward he has more than doubled his already-remarkable speed.** Bui, an enemy from the Dark Tournament arc of ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'', wears heavy armor over every inch of his body and wields a gigantic axe. Everyone thinks this is to protect him from attack, but it turns out that the armor was actually a PowerLimiter, and once it's removed, he shows off an impenetrable BattleAura that lets him defeat Hiei's WaveMotionGun, the Dragon of the Darkness Flame/Kokuryuha.*** Similarly enough, Hiei himself wears 2 limiters. His headband suppresses his Jagan's demon energy, while the bandages suppress the Dragon of the Darkness Flame, with ''very'' good reason; without said limit, Hiei's demon energy was so powerful, if his aura were to clash with Bui's, the resulting reaction was said by Kurama to be powerful enough to destroy the entire stadium.*** It was revealed in the Dark Tournament arc that Yusuke was given "spirit cuffs" by Genkai because his constant effort to overcome it would buff up his spirit energy.** In what is probably a ShoutOut to Rock Lee, [=MegaMan=] and [=ProtoMan=] both have 'limiter programs' that are essentially giant weights that they drop off in their last battle in the bonus chapter of the final ''Anime/MegaManNTWarrior'' manga. [[spoiler:The battle ends in a tie.]]** In ''Manga/ThePrinceOfTennis'', wrist/leg weights are used in a regular basis during training to develop more focus and leg strength. [[MasterOfDisguise Masaharu Niou]] from Rikkaidai also uses additional wristbands to tap his own potential, and utterly ''refuses'' to take them off.*** [[spoiler:It turns out that ''this'' is what Shiraishi's bandages cover. Underneath them he wears a heavy arm band; when it's removed, the speed of his left arm sky-rockets.]]** ''Manga/MedakaBox'' has Unzen Myouga, little sister of head Enforcer Unzen Myouri, who fights using [[EpicFlail six 30kg ball-and-chains]]; when she removes them she becomes incredibly agile. This example is [[ShoutOut explicitly compared]] to Goku's weighted clothing, both by Myouga and her opponent.* Back to ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'': Karasu (on the same team as Bui, his skill is HavingABlast) normally wears a mask. The mask is this trope because it keeps him from having full access to his mouth, keeping a DangerousForbiddenTechnique locked up.* Kakashi from ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' keeps his eye patch for most fights, because without his EyepatchOfPower his power is always on and will cost him all his energy too quickly. He also has a limit on his [[spoiler: Mangekyō Sharingan (which punch unavoidable holes into reality taking body parts of his enemies apart)]] - twice in one fight! That power could end any threat real quick if not for the 3 limits... the [[spoiler: holes in reality]] take a long while to get started, 2 weeks of recovering in bed for doing them, and not being able to train this dangerous power means he can't aim [[spoiler: holes in reality]] well... yet.** The seals containing the tailed beasts tend to act as limiters, restricting the flow of chakra until their host activates it when in need.* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' has several examples. Shinigami aren't allowed to release their swords into either shikai or bankai without permission. This applies to both Soul Society and the living world. The damage they can wreak is too much to contemplate without power limiters. As a result, they also have a further limit on their power. To protect humans in the living world, shinigami of captain and vice-captain ranks have to wear a limiter that reduces their power by 80% in the form of a tattoo of their division's symbolic flower. They again can't release this without express permission.** [[AxCrazy Kenpachi]] normally wears a parasitic [[EyepatchOfPower eyepatch]] that was specially designed to [[EnergyAbsorption guzzle some of his energy]]. This limits the amount of energy he can use in battle to [[BloodKnight prevent him]] from dispatching his opponents too fast. He wears it on purpose in order to make his fights more challenging.** When Ichigo first encounters the true form of [[PetalPower Senbonzakura]], [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill Senkei]], he realises that being [[DeathInAllDirections surrounded on all sides]] by thousands of swords puts him in a very bad position. Byakuya [[FlechetteStorm guesses what he's thinking]] and tells him not to be concerned. Apparently Byakuya once made a [[PillarsOfMoralCharacter vow]] to only ever use Senkei on someone he intended to kill [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy with his own two hands]]. As a result, he can't maximize the [[StormOfBlades potential]] of his bankai's [[DeathByAThousandCuts thousands of swords]] because he can only wield the blades [[HonorBeforeReason one or two at a time]] from the palms of his hands. [[spoiler: As of the Thousand Year Blood War arc, Byakuya can now easily call upon every single sword of Senkei to strike down his opponent. It's only been seen once (as Bleach ended), but we can assume he would go back to limiting his power after the Quincies are defeated.]]** Ikkaku possesses bankai but keeps it secret, since if people knew about it he'd be pressured to become captain of his own squad, when he'd rather stay in his current one. Even when he finally enters bankai, he doesn't power straight into its full form the way the others do. He first has to re-engage the fight with the active, but weakly powered, bankai until he makes a first cut. Only then does it "awaken". Once the dragon crest on the highest blade turns fully red, Ikkaku finally is able to wield his weapon at full strength.** Findor Carias' mask. He becomes stronger the more he chips it away.** When Yumichika releases his sword it rather uselessly splits from one to four blades. Then it's revealed this is a fake shikai and he is hiding his sword's true abilities. He deliberately calls his sword by [[EmbarrassingNickname a nickname it hates]] to piss it off and make it refuse to help him. When he calls it by its [[SayIt proper name]], it releases its true form: a snaking mass of unbreakable flower vines that [[EnergyAbsorption drains]] an opponent to death. His fake shikai gives him no abilities, forcing him to fight with [[{{Determinator}} only base skill and resolve]]. However, his real shikai is so powerful that he's achieved a [[CurbStompBattle single-strike victory]] every time he's used it. The reason he won't use it is the same reason Ikkaku won't use his bankai: he wants to stay in his squad (the same squad as Ikkaku, even). Squad 11 consists entirely of {{Blood Knight}}s who value only physical strength and think kido is for pussies. As Yumichika's real shikai is a kido-type it would get him kicked out of the squad. Or at least he thinks it would; at the very least it could get him ostracized.** Ichigo himself is actually under two, both acquired around the same time.*** His [[spoiler:substitute badge]] actually decreases the power he can draw out thanks to [[spoiler:Soul Society remembering the last time a bankai wielding substitute ran around freely.]]*** In the Thousand Year Blood War arc he learns that Old Man Zangetsu has been a limiter all along. He represents Ichigo's Quincy powers [[spoiler: and is supposed to kill him if he uses any other form of ability, but doesn't want to. Instead, he fakes Soul Reaper powers and limits Ichigo's real ones, which interferes with his abilities and causes instability in his power.]] On the other hand, it's not all bad: [[spoiler:since as a Quincy it means he can use defensive abilities like Blut, which actually saved him a few times.]]* ''Manga/MobileSuitCrossboneGundam'': Crossbone Gundam X3 has two variations on this trope. Its built-in [[BeehiveBarrier I-field]] generators have a cool-down period longer than their operational period (which finally gets fixed in Steel Seven by simply adding two more generators). And its Muramasa Blaster initially has a safety Tobia doesn't know about - which isn't a huge problem, as that just makes it a club rather than a beam saber.* "Manga/ShinryakuIkaMusume": The protagonist's stupidity keeps her from excersising her power. * In ''Manga/{{Saiyuki}}'' the "good" youkai of Shangri-La generally wear jewelry-like power-limiters to keep them human-shaped and closer to human-strength when in mixed company. After the Minus Wave, very few youkai are sane enough to even think about wearing limiters. Two of the protagonists wear limiters nearly all the time: Goku's diadem and Hakkai's ear cuffs. (Goku's is many, many times stronger than a standard youkai limiter due to his SuperPoweredEvilSide.) Hakkai at full strength scares the shit out of even his friends and he's more susceptible to Minus Wave influence without the ear cuffs. Goku's unlimited form is strong enough to be a direct threat to Heaven; Sanzo's the only non-god who can put the diadem back on. In both cases, if and when the limiters come off, you'd best run and not look back.** Once, when Sanzo got hurt, Goku was so upset his power overloaded his limiter... The quartet's 'patron goddess' had to put it back on. Total beatdown on the bad guys that time, though, SuperPoweredEvilSide style.* Moka's rosary in ''Manga/RosarioToVampire'' serves to keep her power in check [[spoiler:among other things]]. It can only be removed by [[OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent Tsukune]] in times of extreme need.** There's also [[spoiler:Tsukune's Holy Lock, which keeps Moka's blood in his veins]] from turning him into a [[spoiler: mindless massacre machine.]]** And [[spoiler:Moka's older half-sister Kahlua,]] who wears a pair of cross earrings. Removing the right earring [[spoiler:[[OneWingedAngel transforms her right arm into razor-sharp wings]]]].** And Sun Otonashi's notebook. At first it seems to merely be a way for the "mute" girl to use TalkingWithSigns, but it's later revealed that she's a [[spoiler:powerful Siren who uses the notebook to help keep [[MakeMeWannaShout her lethal voice]] under control.]]* Kyo of ''Manga/FruitsBasket'' has a power limiter in the form of a bracelet; if it comes off he transforms into his monstrous "true form."* Abel Nightroad in ''LightNovel/TrinityBlood'' is the only [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Crusnik]] who can release his powers in three stages (40%, 80%, and 100%). These restrictions are self-imposed, following a MyGodWhatHaveIDone moment long before the series' begin.** His EvilTwin [[MeaningfulName Cain]] long before had ''permanently'' locked himself into 100% power, with [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity results]] that demonstrate why Abel's PowerLimiter is a really good idea. Their younger sister Seth seems to vary only between not activating the power at all and using it at 100%.* Peacemakers in ''LightNovel/ScrappedPrincess'' have four "modes": compressed [[spoiler:(when they look and behave like ordinary little kids)]], normal [[spoiler:(adult mages of tremendous powers)]], limited battle form [[spoiler:(levitating monstrosities that level entire cities within minutes)]], and fully released form [[spoiler:(clearly OverNineThousand and forbidden to use inside the atmosphere)]].* Power Limiters are essential in ''Anime/ZettaiKarenChildren'', as the girls' powers at their max can wreck an entire city block. At first, they were in the form of chokers, but Minamoto's persuasion changed them to a bracelet, earring and ring - much more stylish and less degrading. However, the limiter can only be deactivated when the emergency levels are at their highest.* Evangeline of ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'' is an enormously powerful vampire sorceress who's spread havoc and destruction on a colossal scale, ravaging Europe for many hundreds of years. In her heydays at least. After her defeat by Nagi Springfield [[WorldsStrongestMan the Thousand Master]], she's been constrained to remain as student in [[ElaborateUniversityHigh Mahora Academy]] for the last fifteen years. The curse he placed on her seals away most of her ability while the school's {{Magitek}} barrier weakens her significantly. Considering that the one time we see her without the power limiters, she takes out ''a demon god'' in [[OneHitKill one shot]] it's probably good that she isn't perpetually at full power. [[IAmNotLeftHanded That doesn't go to say]] she doesn't [[WaifFu have some tricks up her sleeve]]. [[OldMaster Hundreds of years of life will do that]]. In times of dire need, the headmaster is willing to release her curse temporarily for a good DeusExMachina.* The Youma suppression pills in ''Manga/{{Claymore}}'' were designed to dampen a Claymore's power and let her act covertly. Later on they were used to [[spoiler:allow seven warriors to survive a suicide mission by faking their deaths]].* In ''Manga/AliceAcademy'', there are power-limiting masks and earrings.* In ''Manga/TsubasaReservoirChronicle'', Fay's phoenix tattoo (which covers his entire back) restrains his huge innate magical powers. When he trades it to Yuuko for a place in the traveling party, he swears off using his magic for fear of what might happen without the limit in place. Although, [[spoiler: it turns out he's MORE dangerous with it than without, due to being cursed to kill the first person he meets whose magic exceeds his own. Suppressing his magic only makes it more likely he'll run across someone stronger]].** Just as a reminder, without that limiter, [[spoiler: Fay's magic can destroy an entire world/dimension/at least country when he has a SuperPowerMeltdown]].* [[Manga/SgtFrog Sergeant Keroro]] wears a power limiter during the monsoon season to prevent him from turning into "Keroro From [[NoodleIncident Back Then]]".* The titular character from ''Manga/HellTeacherNube'' wears a black glove to keep his [[RedRightHand Oni Hand]] hidden away, and so it looks and functions as a regular human hand. When the glove comes off, the hand becomes monstrous in size and appearance, but he still keeps limits on his power with his own spiritual abilities and the help of his mentor's spirit.** A more direct application lies in the Oni-Sealing Bracelets which En no Gyōja left scattered throughout Japan (usually to [[SealedEvilInACan seal]] something ''else'', which Nube then has to contend with after taking the bracelet.) When he wears these on his Oni Hand, he can consciously allow a [[PowerLevels specific percentage]] of the Oni's power to manifest itself, while remaining in full control.* In ''Anime/YuGiOh'', Joey Wheeler says that the card "Gearfried the Iron Knight" uses his suit of armor to control his power. Joey then plays "Release Restraint" to reveal Gearfired's true form: the much more powerful "Gearfried the Swordmaster."* Aki Izayoi (Akiza Izinski)'s hairband in ''[[Anime/YuGiOh5Ds Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's]]'' supposedly holds back her psychic powers, although whether or not it's really a MagicFeather remains to be seen. When it falls out of her hair while fighting against Yusei, her psychic powers seem to really hit home, but that may be psychological.* Miyanaga Saki from ''Manga/{{Saki}}'' takes off her shoes to get a power up in mahjong.* Parodied twice in ''Manga/SayonaraZetsubouSensei''. In one instance, Harumi's glasses are revealed to have a tremendous weight and prevent her from exercising her full athletic potential (and she's an amazing athlete with the glasses on). The terminology used to describe them is a ShoutOut to the RestrainingBolt for mecha in ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''. On another occasion, Nozomu is challenged by Lee Nakanao who is a parody of the stock Rival/ WorthyOpponent of shounen fighting anime. Lee is a white haired {{Bishonen}} with an EyepatchOfPower, and when providing stats on him, the manga indicates that the eyepatch restrains his full power and he'd go berserk if he removed it.* Yuki Nagato from ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'' requests permission from her boss to use her powers, and later adds a second layer of restriction in the form of Kyon.* The mail-order [[PoweredArmor Power Suit]] that Gosunkugi buys in ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf''. All things considered, it's extremely powerful tech: it can withstand Ranma's full-power punches without even a dent (and injuring Ranma's knuckles in return,) provides its wearer the speed to deliver RapidFireFisticuffs on par with Ranma, and, naturally, also provides SuperStrength. What prevents misuse and abuse by any common crook? Three basic rules: a) it's unbelievably ''heavy'', so once assembled, it effectively locks into place and the user cannot budge one inch until his rival is in range, at which point [[ChainedHeat it automatically latches onto them with a retractable handcuff]] and powers up; b) once latched onto the rival, the armor will deactivate and fall apart by itself as soon as the user successfully strikes the enemy; and c) the user has a time limit to accomplish this, otherwise the armor will self-destruct.* In ''Anime/DieBuster'', all of the Topless wear a small sticker on their foreheads that keeps their powers in check. Given that without it, they're low-level, localized {{Reality Warper}}s, this is understandable.* Given to Mewtwo in ''Film/PokemonTheFirstMovie''. When he meets with Giovanni for the first time, he barely has control of his psychic abilities and is given the armor to slowly focus his power.* Used in the background of the ''Anime/{{Macross}}'' franchise, in which Variable Fighters have, by the time of ''Anime/MacrossPlus'', achieved a top performance level which exceeds human survivability, capable of applying G-forces which would kill the pilot, and a top atmospheric speed where friction with the air would cause the plane itself to burn up. Other limiters include maximum safe thrust in a vacuum due to heat buildup. By ''Anime/MacrossFrontier'', new technology has allowed some of these limits to be removed; most mentions now are just a ContinuityNod to ''Plus'', where it served as a plot device to [[spoiler:further demonstrate Guld's [[RedemptionEqualsDeath sacrifice]], as he disables his limiters in order to get the performance he needed to destroy the X-9 Ghost, [[HeroicSacrifice at the cost of his own life]]]].* We see a couple of instances of this in ''Manga/KamisamaKiss.'' The first is [[spoiler: Tomoe]] who had one placed on him when he became a familiar. Next we find out that the reason Kurama's powers in the human world are very weak is because a tengu's powers are derived from the mountain they were born on and the further away they are they are, and the longer they are away, the weaker those powers get.* In ''Manga/{{Toriko}}'', [[TheAlcoholic Mansam]] limits his strength with Knocking. Without the Knocking, he's a [[TheJuggernaut rampaging near-unstoppable]] [[TheBerserker berserker]].** [[TheParalyzer Knocking master Jirou]] uses similar seals to limit his strength, but after he removes the seals, he transforms into monstrous version of himself, and then [[spoiler:[[BishonenLine into middle-aged man]]]].* ''Anime/DigimonXrosWarsTheYoungHuntersLeapingThroughTime'' has Gumdramon, who has a golden band on his tail. The band was put there to keep him from using his abilities selfishly and becomes an AmplifierArtifact when exposed to ThePowerOfFriendship.* The Build Burning Gundam of ''Anime/GundamBuildFightersTry'' has a unique one - it was hidden within the shell of a MS-09 Dom.* In ''Anime/PlasticMemories'', Giftias are equipped with one that restricts their super strength and speed. [[spoiler:One reason Wanderers are so hazardous to face is because this limiter is switched off when a Giftia becomes a Wanderer.]] Alternatively, the limiter can be switched off manually, [[spoiler:which is part of SAI's protocol in using their own Giftias to subdue Wanderers]]. * In ''Manga/ReKan'', Hibiki's [[ISeeDeadPeople ability to see ghosts]] never gets out-of-control as such, but her [[ChronicHeroSyndrome utter inability to refuse help to any ghost she encounters]] does take its toll on her. At one point, when she's been pushed to utter exhaustion, her friends force her to wear her mother's Sixth Sense Blocking Spectacles, which prevent her from seeing (and even hearing) ghosts, giving her a much-needed reprieve.* In ''Manga/TokyoGhoul :Re'', this is the key difference between normal [[HalfHumanHybrid One-Eyed Ghouls]] and the Quinx. While the methods to create them are essentially the same, the Quinx have a system installed to limit their powers (and therefore, how close to being a true half-Ghoul they are). The Frame System consists of five layers of Quinque Steel, encasing the transplanted organ to limit how much it changes the host's biology. Removing each layer increases the potential power output by 20%, but increases risk of losing control or becoming a true half-Ghoul.* In ''Manga/TheLegendOfKoizumi'', during "The Twilight Of The Gods" story arc, the Pope is revealed to have been wearing "The Shackles Of Golgotha", a set of heavy wrist weights, for years in order to restrain his true power. (Koizumi remarks that he's probably been using less than a tenth of his full potential until then.) This is still a manga about playing ''mahjong''.* In ''Manga/Brave10'', it turns out [[spoiler:the [[HairDecorations Kushimitama]] isn't the source of Isanami's PowerOfTheVoid: it's keeping it at bay.]]* Fukuzawa's ability in ''Manga/BungouStrayDogs'' is effectively this, giving his subordinates a finer degree of control over their own abilities. For example, Atsushi went from an InvoluntaryShapeshifter to a VoluntaryShapeshifter when he joined the Armed Detective Agency.* In ''Manga/SaintSeiya'' a Cloth is a weapon and protection for his wielder. For Shun, however, it was this, as he doesn't like killing and [[WillfullyWeak his Cloth's chains allowed him to fight without using his true strength, that he expected to inevitably kill his opponent]]. Aphrodite (a Gold Saint, thus theorically vastly more powerful than a mere Bronze Saint as Shun) found the hard way during their battle, when he found the chains too annoying and reacted by destroying the entire Cloth-and died soon after.* ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamIronBloodedOrphans'': The Alaya-Vijnana System used by some Mobile Suit pilots and particularly by the Gundam Frames links the pilot's nervous system to the control systems of the Suit, allowing the pilot to control it via thought. However, the A-V System has safeties in place that prevent full synchronization between the pilot and the robot. While full synch grants the pilot unparalleled control and superhuman speed and reflexes, it also causes severe neurological damage, permanently paralyzing large parts of the user's body unless it's currently linked to the robot.* While pretty common in Sports anime in general, ''Manga/YowamushiPedal'' goes all out with this trope. The main character, from the very very beginning, is constantly under limiters and that is in fact the *only reason* he isn't already Inter-High level. Throughout the show, it's far less him getting stronger and far more his teammates just removing his limiters one at a time and watching him go from mediocre to incredible just from that.* In ''Manga/{{Basilisk}}'' there's a special medicine known as "Seven Day Ointment", which keeps a person's eyes forcibly closed during a week. Since this is a story with extremely powerful ninjas, if anyone gets a dose of this to the eyes, they're ''severely'' limited - and double if their superpowers '''involve their eyes'''. [[spoiler: Gennosuke, whose power is basically a '''literal''' DeathGlare, has a dose of it thrown at him and spends quite a bit of the story as a HandicappedBadass. On the other hand his girlfriend Oboro, whose own powers involve [[PowerNullifier neutralizing ninja powers with her own glate]], willingly seals her eyes with the ointment after she accidentally uses her skills against one of her clansmates.]][[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]* In ''Film/XMenTheLastStand'', not to mention in the [[ComicBook/XMen original comics]] it was based on, we learn that Professor Xavier placed a mental block in Jean Grey as a child, to keep her more extreme powers from manifesting.** Also, in the original Phoenix storyline in the comics, Jean unconsciously put blocks on her vast cosmic power to keep it at a level she could handle. Then, Mastermind started removing them. [[AGodAmI BAD move]].** Also, ComicBook/{{Cyclops}}' goggles, which keep his uncontrollable EyeBeams under wraps. If he takes his glasses off completely and opens his eyes fully he can hold off even the ''Juggernaut'' (for a little while, anyway) and once ''atomized'' a Sentinel. The bad news is that it means destroying everything else in the area too, so he doesn't do it often.** ComicBook/{{Cable}}'s PsychicPowers are canonically Phoenix-class-or-higher, but the majority of his power is constantly occupied, holding back the techno-organic virus that threatens to consume him. As such, he typically relies on {{BFG}}s and the occasional nowhere-near-Phoenix-class telekinetic feat.* Similar to Jean Grey, in the post-[[CosmicRetcon Zero Hour]] ''ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes'', blocks were put on the higher levels of Saturn Girl's telepathy when she was a child. When the blocks came off years later, she started using her powers without realizing it.* Albert Cranston in ''ComicBook/PS238'' is implied, early on, to have one of these around his head. Apparently, they limit his (apparent) telekinetic abilities to a level where he is barely able to press a keyboard button with his mind, and it seems that he is keeping the fact that he is even able to do this a secret from the remaining staff, implying it was meant to be a PowerNullifier.** That's exactly what it's for. Governmentally-enforced, no less.* During the Christopher Kent storyline in Franchise/{{Superman}}, Superman had him wear a watch much of the time that emitted red sunlight to keep him normal as he hadn't learned to control his powers yet. He could take it off any time he wanted but kept it on most of the time out of respect for Superman.** In ''ComicBook/SupermanAndBatmanGenerations'', Kara Kent wore a red sunlight pendant during early childhood when her powers started manifesting. Lois had previously worn the same pendant when she was pregnant with Kara to keep the Kryptonian infant from damaging her.* ComicBook/TheSpectre's power is severely limited when sealed in a mortal host. The Spectre still has near-omnipotent power but can only use it to punish murderers (and not every murderer at that). During the Day of Vengeance event, the Spectre was between hosts and fell prey to Eclipso's manipulations and decided that magic was an affront to the Presence's will and had to be destroyed. The Spectre declared war on all magic in the universe. And pretty much won. Without anything holding him back, the Spectre [[BalefulPolymorph turned Phantom Stranger into a mouse]], forced Blaze and Satanus to flee for their lives, kicked a souped up Captain Marvel's ass, killed Shazam in the place where he was strongest, and killed all of the Lords of Order and Chaos. Unfortunately for the Spectre, that last one was the final straw for the Presence. The Presence promptly demonstrated the difference between near-omnipotent and truly omnipotent power by sealing the Spectre into his new host.* The newest version of Steel (a member of the ComicBook/{{Justice Society|OfAmerica}} not to be confused with John Henry Irons) wears a solid metal skin with no joints in order to resist his strength enough for him to function. It has draw backs like not being able to feel pretty much anything.* Five of the six [[ComicBook/TheInfinityGauntlet Infinity Gems]] act as control rods for the sixth, the Reality gem, which cannot be used alone (unlike the other five). Trying to do so will result in RealityIsOutToLunch (as Thanos painfully found out).* Jamie Madrox, a.k.a. Multiple Man of ''ComicBook/XFactor'', has to wear one sometimes. His mutant power is MesACrowd, making copies of himself. The problem is PowerIncontinence. The duplicates are triggered by physical impact, like getting punched or stamping his foot. Sometimes, though, his power is so sensitive that just a casual bump would make one appear, so he usually has to wear soft armor so that he can make duplicates voluntarily but not by accident.* ComicBook/BetaRayBill's cyborg body was built with one of these, releasing it more than triples his power for a short time, but runs the risk of [[PowerIncontinence burning out his power]].* The Franchise/GreenLantern Corps were given various restrictions on the power of their rings by the Guardians of the Universe, such as the inability to directly kill someone with them. The Guardians later released these restrictions.* A future version of ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'''s Franklin Richards known as Psi-Lord wears a specialized power armor designed to drain his immense psychic abilities. Without it, he was able to release power equivalent to the Big Bang. Before that, Reed Richards had to install mental blocks within Franklin when his powers started to manifest. Of course, putting it on him while putting him in a coma did near him a WhatTheHellHero from Sue.* The lightning bolt embedded in ComicBook/RadioactiveMan's head acts as a control rod, preventing the nuclear reaction in his body from going supercritical (and turning him evil).* ComicBook/{{Deadpool}}'s HealingFactor is restrained by his own cancer and vice versa. Without his healing factor, the cancer will go wild and kill him. Without his cancer, his healing factor will go wild and kill him. Sucks, doesn't it?* For the longest time, it was suggested that ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}'s adamantium skeleton was this for both his healing factor and his animalistic tendencies. When Magneto torn his adamantium out of his body and his healing factor recovered from being taxed, it came back stronger than ever, but started a downward spiral of losing himself, made full when Genesis tried to give him back his adamantium and brainwashed him, which didn't work out at all.* In the New Power arc of ''ComicBook/{{WITCH}}'' it turns out that the original forms of the Guardians of Kandrakar are this, with their power being a mere fraction of what they would really be and the full power being released to them [[GodzillaThreshold only in case of dire emergency]]. Considering the damage [[FallenHero Nerissa]] did with said limit, [[ProperlyParanoid it's a good thing]].[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fairy Tales]]* The Runner from the fairy tale ''The Six Who Went Far in the World'' wore a single weighted boot, so he wasn't running around at full speed all the time.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Animation]]* Jafar is defeated in the first ''Disney/{{Aladdin}}'' movie by the limits of being a genie. "PHENOMENAL COSMIC POWERS... itty-bitty living space."* Queen Elsa from ''Disney/{{Frozen}}'' has near-constant [[PowerIncontinence lack of control over her powers]], causing her to freeze everything she touches and accidentally create snow and/or ice whenever she moves her hands too quickly. To counteract this, she wears [[ConspicuousGloves gloves]]. It's shown to work... unless she's particularly distressed, for example when her parents die, she's shown to have coated a large area around her in ice, despite the gloves. Since Elsa's powers activate due to strong emotions, it's very likely that her gloves work [[MagicFeather like a placebo]]; she thinks that the gloves might help her, which calms her down and prevents her ice powers from activating. [[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]* In ''Film/TheAdventuresOfBaronMunchausen'', the world's fastest runner constantly has a ball and chain attached to each of his feet.* In ''Film/ManOfSteel'', [[spoiler:the Kryptonians' PoweredArmor filter their SuperSenses whilst on Earth. When Superman breaks Zod's face mask after repeatedly punching him in the face, he suffers SensoryOverload. He adapts, though.]]* ''Film/XMen'':** In ''Film/XMenTheLastStand'', not to mention in the [[ComicBook/{{X-Men}} original comics]] it was based on, we learn that Professor Xavier placed a mental block in Jean Grey as a child, to keep her more extreme powers from manifesting.** In ''Film/XMenFirstClass'', Erik observes that Mystique's physical strength is effectively halved because she is concentrating on [[IJustWantToBeNormal maintaining a human appearance.]] This explains her tendency to "decloak" for her fight scenes in the original movies.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Works]]* In the fanfic ''Fanfic/CoOpMode'', James can help those he invites into his Party into gaining Skills, but it is limited by them only learning up to the number they have for [[SuddenGameInterface INT.]] As per WordOfGod, this is so as to avoid logical exploits like [[GameBreaker learning a thousand Skills in order to get through fights with just the passives]].* In the ''FanFic/PokeWars'' series it is revealed that [[spoiler:Pokémon ''and'' humans]] possess natural power limiters that keep their attacks to a non-lethal level and reduce their bloodlust and aggressiveness. The series revolves around what happens after those limiters are suddenly released and [[spoiler:the Pokémon are psychically commanded to kill all humans]].* What kicks off the plot in ''Escape from the Hokage's Hat''. During the Sasuke retrieval mission, Naruto managed to win his fight against Sasuke but almost died. He aimed for Sasuke's wing which took Sasuke down but threw the aim off the Chidori from his heart to most of his right side and his whole right arm while Naruto was suffering from charka exhaustion to boost. While in surgery Tsunade finds multiple limiters on Naruto ranging from intelligence dampening to massively suppressing his hormones and libido and his motor functions. The reason she isn't on Jiraiya's (resident seal master) case for not notifying her of the seals is because they were [[BloodMagic blood seals]] made from Naruto's own blood so they wouldn't be seen by a regular medical scan. While Jiraiya says removing them would give him a major permanent boost (the seals held a large chunk of Naruto's power), there is a downside to it due to the seals being so ingrained into Naruto's body. Naruto would generally have the motor functions of a 5 month year old, Kage level reserves with zero control and a brain that's just started working at normal capacity. * The admins in ''FanFic/TheInfiniteLoops'' originally designed subspace pockets to drain power away from Loopers in order to keep them from accidentally collapsing a universe. The fact that the pockets also serve as HammerSpace and carry things between loops is just an added bonus.* In ''Unwell'', Twilight Sparkle is said to be on these as a result of an illness that's exacerbated by excessive magic levels. And had been since foalhood. The results of another pony taking her medications are ... BAD.* ''Fanfic/TheElementsOfFriendship'': Book II reveals that Celestia's regalia are this to her, as the full untapped extent of her PowerOfTheSun would either incinerate or irradiate everything around her.* ''Fanfic/AdorableMurderbeasts'' : A fanfic where a Self-Insert is put into the Young Justice universe with six Pokeballs and all the items from the games, he uses the Macho Brace, Power Bracers, and Power Anklets to increase his training so he can faster match the various threats of the DC Universe.* One ''Bleach'' story shows Yachiru's entire uniform is covered in power limiters similar to Kenpachi's. They're also stated to be the reason she appears as a little girl as they seal away too much power for Yachiru to maintain her adult form.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]* Done by choice in the ''Taltos'' novels of the Literature/{{Dragaera}} series, where [[spoiler:Sethra Lavode]] is revealed to be one and the same with [[spoiler:Kiera the Thief]], and in this persona achieved success with hard work and minimal use of magic, refusing to use any resource or knowledge she didn't gain as [[spoiler:Kiera]], even though in her true form she is an equal to the gods. Her explanation was simply that she got bored.* In the ''Literature/{{Fingerprints}}'' series, Rae's PsychicPowers initially drive her into a mental institution. In later books, she starts putting wax on her fingertips as a sort of improvised Power Limiter to keep other peoples' thoughts out of her head, since [[PowerIncontinence she can't turn her ability off]].* Merlin Athrawes is actually a machine posing as one of the planet Literature/{{Safehold}}s legendary ''seijin.'' This lets him perform above and beyond your average human, but he still keeps a Power Limiter active to avoid being ''too'' above and beyond, and only removes them in extreme circumstances.* In [[Literature/MistbornTheOriginalTrilogy Mistborn]] Vin's [[spoiler: earring acts like this since it's really a Hemalurgic spike that blocks her from absorbing the mist and becoming Preservation. If you're fighting her and she loses that earring somehow, get ready to have your ass handed to you on a tray.]]* In the ''Literature/{{Ravenor}}'' books, Wystan Frauka, has a power limiter which can turn off his psychic blanking effect. Which is handy, when the hero is a powerful psychic... * In ''Literature/RavenorVsEisenhorn'', the cuffs.** Also a choice made by those who choose to summon Daemonhosts; the more of the Daemon's power is permitted to escape, the less control is possible. [[spoiler:Cherubael is weaker working for Eisenhorn because Eisenhorn wants to keep him under control.]]* Employed by the government in ''HarrisonBergeron'' to make sure that nobody ever excels at anything, ostensibly to make everyone equal.* In ''Literature/HarryPotter'', part of Neville Longbottom's problem performing magic is the fact that he is using his father's wand for the first 5 books. Once he gets one that is specifically made for him, his abilities improve dramatically.* In the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' series, a Wizard's natural instinct is to build a magic tower, and then obliterate every other wizard standing (it's noted that the plural of "wizard" used to be "war"). The [[WizardingSchool Unseen University]] with its associated lifestyle of multiple rich meals a day, bureaucracy, and general work-avoidance, acts as a PowerLimiter helping keep those instincts in check, and when the system is temporarily upended in ''Discworld/{{Sourcery}}'', things go ''very bad, very fast''.* In ''Franchise/TolkiensLegendarium'', the Istari ("wizards"), most prominently including Gandalf (as well as Saruman and others) all have a built-in power limiter, albeit one that is barely hinted at in ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings''; for full reveal, ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'' must be perused. [[spoiler:The Istari are actually Maiar, a subtype of Ainur, members of the first race of beings brought forth by the Creator before the dawn of time.]] Although of "lesser order and power" than the godlike Valar, they also are immortal of the ''CompleteImmortality'' variety, and their ethereal "natural form" vastly exceeds the power and ability levels of all but the very greatest mortals in Middle-Earth history (none of which are around by the time of the War of the Ring; Galadriel at the height of her power is little more than a reflection of the abilities of her greatest ancestors). However, because of ancient and complex rules, restrictions, and covenants, [[spoiler:they are only allowed to help in the war against the dark powers in an advisory capacity]]. While occasionally capable of feats beyond men or elves (such as the White Council banishing Sauron from Dol Guldur, alluded to in ''Literature/TheHobbit'', Gandalf destroying the Balrog in Moria, breaking Saruman's hold over Theoden of Rohan and later stripping Saruman of his power altogether, or repeatedly repelling the Ringwraiths), most of the time they are just what is says on the tin -- wizened, crotchety old men that only those in the know have any reason to be wary of. Gandalf's power limiter is not removed when he is promoted to Gandalf the White (in reward for his efforts on behalf of Middle-Earth and so that he may finish his task) -- it is merely dialed down a notch.** [[spoiler:they are only allowed to help in an advisory capacity, because every time Ainur go to war, Continents Sink]]* ''JourneyToChaos'': The entire guild lobby was outfitted with runes that suppress [[spoiler: Mia's hammerspace ability]] so she can control it instead of turning into a blackhole. * In the ''Literature/TowersTrilogy'', Xhea initially believes that she is an UnSorcerer with no magic whatsoever, but later learns that she possesses dark magic which has been suppressed by a limiter for most of her life. [[spoiler:Her mother cast the limiter spell on her when she was a child to prevent her dark magic from killing her, but it breaks when Xhea pushes herself into a HeroicRROD at the climax of ''Radiant'']].[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]* The classic tokusatsu example is ''Series/{{Ultraman}}'''s Color Timer, where once he transforms has only three minutes to kill the monster and change back or he "will never rise again." * In ''Series/KamenRiderKiva'', Wataru (the titular hero) has his [[spoiler: {{Dhampyr}} and]] Rider abilities are chained in two ways: symbolically in that being a [[spoiler: HalfHumanHybrid denies him most of the powers of his vampiric heritage]], and literally with the chains adorning Kiva's armor that bring its power down to manageable levels. When he unlocks [[SuperMode Emperor Form]], the TransformationSequence actually begins with one of his sidekicks shattering the chains.** Later in the series, Wataru gets his hands on an EvilWeapon that makes him go berserk. His {{Battle Butler}}s use a fragment of their souls to create a new PowerLimiter that lets him use the sword without going crazy.* In official materials from ''Series/KamenRiderFourze'', the Horoscopes' cloaks limit their powers, and removing them allows each Horoscope to fight at full strength. It acts as one level of three, the others being [[IAmNotLeftHanded Cloakless]] and [[SuperMode Supernova]].** Fourze himself has one in that he can't change to his [[SuperMode Cosmic States]] if the bond between him and his friends weakens. Although by the time they figure that out he's fighting the strongest villains in the show and it doesn't pose much of a problem for him anymore, because he can't believably be fighting them without it.* In ''Series/MahouSentaiMagiranger'' [[SixthRanger Hikaru]] ends up having to put a time limit on the main team's [[SuperMode Legend Modes]] so that they don't [[PowerAtAPrice lose their humanity]].* One ''Series/{{Angel}}'' episode revolves around Gunn helping Gwen Raiden, a ClassyCatBurglar with [[ShockAndAwe electric superpowers]] to steal a device capable of acting as a Power Limiter for her. She wanted it because without it she instantly killed anyone who she had skin contact with, [[CantHaveSexEver to her inconvenience]]. When they obtained it, she celebrated by losing her virginity with him.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]* In TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering, a few creatures have some way to become more powerful if certain conditions are met, and many of these are implied to be removal of a power limiter of some kind.* Creator/GamesWorkshop games:** In ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'', ''TabletopGame/WarhammerAgeOfSigmar'' and ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'', the Chaos God Tzeentch created the Blue Scribes to collect every spell and psychic power in existence. Knowing the [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder mentality of his followers]] however, Architect of Fate altered the Scribes to ensure that they couldn't effectively use the knowledge they acquire. P'tarix can transcribe the spells they find, but can't read. Xirat'p, on the other hand, can read his brother's writing, but can't understand it. They're also both Blue Horrors so that they would eternally be at each other's throats (as well as being dumber than two halves of a peanut), never getting the idea that they could work together to utilize the power they hold effectively.** ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' specific examples:*** Many Imperial Guard Sanctioned Psykers have augmetic dampers implanted to reduce the potency of their powers. *** The Animus Speculum worn by Culexus Assassins are designed to absorb and contain the anti-soul energies of the Blanks that wear them. This is so that the Assassins can operate within normal people without causing them to experience a violent case of Uncanny Valley. Unlike other examples though, it can fire this stored energy when the eye opens, turning it into a localized negative space wedgie that tears your soul from your body.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]* The Slayer class in ''VideoGame/DungeonFighterOnline'' is a swordsman with a [[DemonicPossession red, demon-possessed arm]] that constantly tries to take over the rest of his body. Right from the start, he's got a Power Limiter in the form of mystical shackles attached to the arm. One of his class advancements, the Blade Master, receives a more-powerful version called a Regulator, which allows him to focus nearly entirely on his swordplay and supresses the demon so strongly his arm [[PowerGlow turns white and glows.]] His alternate class advancements are much less positive, which involve [[DealWithTheDevil striking a bargain with the demon]] to trade his eyes for power, learning the enslave the demon and others like it which will ultimately end up with him dead due to them or just giving into the possession completely.* Potemkin in ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'' wears a restraint system designed to keep him under control during the years he was a slave; his [[SlaveCollar collar]] had a [[ExplosiveLeash bomb wired into it]]. Even now, having gained freedom, he still wears it to keep his strength in check. In his [[FinishingMove Instant Kill]], he briefly removes it, and then kills the opponent with one punch.** As well, Sol Badguy, from the same series, wears a pseudo-magical headband which suppresses his true nature as a SuperPrototype of a gear Gear, a race of magical living weapons of mass destruction, and allows him to retain his sanity. However, this comes at a cost of somewhere in the vicinity of 90% of his power. Given his already amazing battle skill, and his ability to destroy commander-level Gears with minimal effort, his true potential can be rather frightening to consider.** Still, [[BigBad That Man]] seems to casually fight him after Sol removes his limiter. Even at the end of the battle, barely any damage was done to That Man. Makes one wonder how powerful That Man really is.*** Sol admits after that fight that he still didn't go all out, [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity probably again for the sake of his sanity.]]* ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'' has the surface dwellers' and Solarians' powers limited by a nanomachine device literally called a Limiter. You get to destroy this Limiter later and unlock awesome new techs for your character. ** Limiters are used in a lot of ways, not just to ensure that surfacers and Solarians can't attain their full power. [[spoiler: Fei also gets a Limiter that keeps his SuperpoweredEvilSide under control, with a system that allows him to release his Id powers in a controlled fashion. It breaks later.]]** Later on, the heroes remove the Limiters on ''everyone''. [[spoiler:It turns out that removing the Limiters of [[NominalImportance nameless NPCs]] is [[NiceJobBreakingItHero a bad idea]].]]* ''VideoGame/{{Xenoblade}}'' Shulk ponders early on that the there must be a reason why the Monado can't cut people and faced Mechon. Later it turns out [[spoiler: the Monado's is "in shackles" in it's current form. Once Zanza unlocks it into the Monado II, those restrictions no longer apply. And it turns out that even that form is still limiting it's power when the Monado III is revealed.]]* In ''VideoGame/RomancingSaGa2'' if you kill Rockbouquet before Noel, he will not allow you to make peace with him and will attack at full power; it is even worse if he is the only remaining hero since he will be the PenultimateBoss in the final dungeon; he will be in his second form and without the limiter, meaning he will use every technique at his disposal.* K' in ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters'' is forced to wear a special gauntlet, lest his flame control powers run wild. Normally, flame-users in KOF have perfect control, but since K' got his powers through an imperfect process, he has no control over them.*** As of 2003 and XIII, it's implied he doesn't need it anymore but now wears it out of habit.** Both K9999 and Nameless have this too. It simplied that Nameless's glvoe is the reincarnation of his long dead lover or something.** Rugal Bernstein and Krizalid have first forms wherein they wear a tuxedo for Rugal or a huge coat for Kriz. Once they come off...well, [[SNKBoss don't say we didn't warn you]]. Rugal's tux is probably worn by Rugal for laughs, where as Kriz's coat is unexplained but could be this. Rugal flings his off, and Krizalid burns his, BTW.* ''VideoGame/StreetFighter'':** ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIII'''s Oro willingly wears one of his arms in a sling while fighting as to use both would run the risk of killing his opponent due to his sheer power. During one of his [[LimitBreak Super Arts]], however, he removes the arm and beats the crap out of the opponent.** [[VideoGame/FinalFight Cody Travers]] wears his prison-issued handcuffs in ''VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha 3'' and ''Super VideoGame/StreetFighterIV'' for much the same reason, though he does so in order to up his own challenge as well as give his opponent a fair(er) bout. He proves it's a limiter by casually removing his cuffs during his taunts in order to stretch his wrists.* In ''VideoGame/StarCraft'', the Terran Ghosts go through brutal training to suppress their innate abilities and allow their superiors to keep better control over them. It can be reversed, though; Infested Kerrigan raids a Terran ship to find out how to do it, unlocking the Psionic Storm attack.* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'':** The gold rings on Shadow the Hedgehog's wrists act as a limiter. It was barely implied in the games, however in ''Anime/SonicX'' he takes them off in certain desperate situations. In the [[Comicbook/SonicTheHedgehog comic]] he takes them off to fight Enerjak, warning the people of New Mobotropolis to "clear the area" and giving Nicole difficulty in maintaining the city.** It's canon in the games as of ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006 Sonic 2006]]''. When Mephiles surrounds Shadow by duplicating himself several hundred times, Shadow removes the rings from his wrists and proceeds to curbstomp the entire clone army. He immediately puts them back on afterward.* Used ''twice on the same character'' in ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss''. A piece of AppliedPhlebotinum is used to bring Jade down 30 levels so he wouldn't be spectacularly overleveled for most of the game. Later, through a sidequest or two, you learn that Jade's eyes are where his ability to use fonic artes is most concentrated, and his glasses prevent all the fonic energy from going out of control and destroying him and whatever he happens to be standing by. ([[TheGlassesComeOff The glasses do come off]] for the final battle against the BigBad, however...)* In ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'', pretty much every SuperRobot used by the Shadow-Mirrors is able to deactivate its power limiter by reciting a code word or phrase, i.e. "Code: Kirin". This is never used as a plot point, however, just an implied powerup during the characters' strongest attacks.* In ''VideoGame/GodHand'', Gene wears the "Deistic Brace" on his titular godhand presumably so that he can keep control over the awesome power it contains. [[spoiler:The braces, along with Gene's other arm, are removed for the final fight.]]* Certain held items in ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' act as simultaneous PowerLimiters and PowerAtAPrice. The various "Power ________" items sacrifice Speed to increase another stat's development speed. The Iron Ball cuts Speed and removes the Flying-type immunity to Ground moves, but gives the strongest possible base power for the move Fling. Certain abilities, like Truant and Slow Start act as Power Limiters.** Machoke's belt is also an example, preventing it from expending all its power at once.** ''Diamond and Pearl'' show that the Poké Balls themselves serve as Power Limiters on [[OlympusMons particularly powerful mons]], driving [[BigBad Cyrus]] to seek alternative methods to enslave the local gods of time and space.** The chest seals on Golett and Golurk keep their power at a manageable level.** Espurr and Meowstic keep their ears folded to hold back the immense, uncontrollable psychic power that they produce. They are even classified as the "Restraint Pokémon" and "Constraint Pokémon" respectively.** Type: Null's mask is designed to keep its powers and speed in check. When it "evolves" into Silvally, the mask is destroyed.* ''VideoGame/StarOceanTheSecondStory'''s final boss Indalecio used his daughter Filia as a limiter on his power. If, after reaching the final level of Fienal, the player decides to trek all the way back to Central City, do a private action and encounter Filia again, Indalecio will find her and kill her, removing his limiter. With his limiter off, he's almost unstoppable.* In ''VideoGame/GodOfWar 3'', Hercules starts out as a MightyGlacier, but when Kratos pulls off his armor and weapons, he becomes much faster, turning into a LightningBruiser.* ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'''s Heaven's Feel scenario has Shirou [[spoiler: losing an arm and having Archer's arm (and Magic Circuits) grafted on (supposed to be impossible, [[MyFutureSelfAndMe but...]])]], which would kill him if he used it much at all, thus forcing him to utilize a magical shroud to block it off. HF also reveals that [[spoiler:Rider]] has been under a power limiter the whole time as well. If not for the limiter, the ability they block might accidentally kill everyone around her. With it off, she gains increased abilities as well.** [[spoiler:Rider's Self-Sealing Dark Temple]] functions similarly to Shiki's glasses in ''VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}}''. In fact, [[LightNovel/KaraNoKyoukai Touko]] also creates a pair of glasses for [[spoiler:Rider]] for everyday purposes.* In ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiStrangeJourney'', [[BonusBoss Alilat]] served as one of these. While now Metatron can siphon a bit of his power back, it means now [[ThatOneBoss Demiurge's]] power lines just got unclogged...* In ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarOnline'' there's actually an item named [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Limiter.]] Once you get 20,000 kills with it equipped, it can become an Adept.* Deathwing from ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' ''Cataclysm'' has massive elementium plates welded onto his body to keep his own power from tearing him apart. He's still noticably "leaking" power despite them, and is in constant agony.** When the final battle comes, you tear off the plates to defeat him [[spoiler: only for his body to transform into an EldritchAbomination capable of single-handedly killing any of the other Aspects and ending the world in a minute flat]].* In the ''VideoGame/{{Diablo}}'' series, the first humans of Sanctuary (and Sanctuary itself) were Angel-Demon hybrids called the Nephalem. They possessed power beyond any angel or demon and more significantly were ImmuneToFate. The Angels feared their power and tuned the Worldstone to limit their power. Then Tyrael was forced to destroy the Worldstone after Baal corrupted it in ''Throne of Destruction''. Cue [[VideoGame/DiabloIII the sequel]], and the first of the new Nephalem become powerful enough [[spoiler:to slay the reincarnated ''GodOfEvil''.]]* In ''VideoGame/AsurasWrath'', Deus's cape is shown to be weighted, as evidenced in episode 15.5.* Inhibitors in ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'' limit the enemy's nexus into summoning weaker minions instead of the mighty super minions. However, this is mainly to HandWave why destroying such structures grants your team super minions.** It was stated in the lore once, but possibly retconned out later, that the Nexus and summoning spell that calls the Champions onto the Fields of Justice regulate power as well, to ensure an even playing field. This is more or less a necessity when the champions range from a anthropomorphic hamster with a blowgun to minor deities.** There is also a lore-only example in Xerath, a mage who turned himself into what seems to be a being of pure magical energy, but was then sealed in a metal sarchophagus. An unspecified amount of centuries later, the sarchophagus is broken into pieces, allowing him to move about and cast some spells, but they're still attached to him and limiting his power, though he is trying to remedy the situation.* ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance'' has an interesting example. Raiden's new cyborg body has all the bells and whistles, including systems to allow him to fight on while injured/damaged. [[spoiler: It turns out these are also keeping "Jack the Ripper", his long-suppressed ChildSoldier side, in check. When an attempt to [[BreakThemByTalking break Raiden by talking]] works [[GoneHorriblyRight a little too well]], he demands Doktor turn ''off'' his supposedly-helpful pain inhibitors, allowing his CombatSadomasochist SuperpoweredEvilSide to let rip.]]* In ''VideoGame/BlazBlueContinuumShift'', Hazama explained that Noel's Nox Nyctores Bolverk actually functions as a limiter to sustain her emotions, thus when Bolverk broke, Noel unlocked her true form - Mu-12. This only happens because he was riling her up at the time, however. When Rachel takes Bolverk from her in an alternate timeline, she instead loses all self-confidence and dissolves into tears.** And [[Videogame/BlazblueChronophantasma Chronophantasma]] gives us Azrael's Enchant Dragunov (indicated by the tatoos adorning his body) that he uses so he doesn't kill his opponent too soon. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqPXKxalTTI This is his power without said seal...]] * The coat worn by the [[ImplacableMan T-103 Tyrant]] in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil2'', according to [[AllThereInTheManual supplementary materials]], is specifically designed to prevent him from mutating. Once it's burned off [[MakeMyMonsterGrow he grows to twice his size]], sprouts [[WolverineClaws big claws]], and becomes ''[[LightningBruiser far more aggressive and faster]]''.** This is actually seen by a group of Umbrella soldiers in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilOperationRaccoonCity''** The same concept applies to just about any clothed Tyrants in the franchise. If it wears a BadassLongcoat, odds are good that the coat is keeping it from turning into a mindless monster.* It is revealed near the end of VideoGame/{{Bioshock Infinite}} that [[spoiler: the Siphon actually limits Elizabeth's powers at the request of Comstock to better manage and keep her under control. By destroying the Siphon Tower using Songbird, Elizabeth gains the full potential of her powers which allowed her to see through the multi universe of the world and its truth.]]* The many [[SuperpowerLottery incredibly powerful beings]] of ''Videogame/TouhouProject'' fight using the nonlethal [[BulletHell Spellcards]] instead of their true powers to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, [[TheProblemWithFightingDeath especially when beings vital to the existance of the world]] are involved. For instance, someone like [[PersonOfMassDestruction Flandre Scarlet]] could probably reduce [[{{Miko}} Reimu Hakurei]] to a black spec of ash on the floor, (probably, [[{{MagicAIsMagicA}} magic A isn't always magic A in setting]] and Reimu has previously parlayed 'ability to the extent of flying through the air' into putting herself above concepts like Death, Defeat and Fate) but then the Barrier around Gensokyo would collapse, so this situation would really not benefit anybody at all. Additionally, it's balanced to give even the weakest individuals a chance to win against the strongest ones around.** [[WarmUpBoss Stage 1 boss]] [[DarkIsEvil Rumia]] wears a ribbon-like amulet which she cannot take off or even touch. What exactly the amulet does has never been shown in canon, but a popular and likely theory goes that it's a power limiter. The fandom refers to the hypothetical unsealed entity as "[[BonusBoss EX]] Rumia", and she is usually portrayed as [[SuperpowerLottery excessively powerful]], [[PowerGivesYouWings winged]] and [[{{BFS}} wielding a giant sword.]]* ''In [[VideoGame/LenEn Len'en Project]]'', the main protagonist Yabusame Houren has the ability to cross dimensions. She has to wear a "two-dimensional" cloth to keep her from just hopping to different dimensions on a whim.* In the digital cardgame ''Videogame/HearthstoneHeroesOfWarcraft we have the card 2 mana cost card [[http://hearthstone.gamepedia.com/File:Ancient_Watcher(153).png Ancient Watcher]] which has a massive 4 attack and 5 health, but has a limiter which prevents it from attacking. Silencing the card will disable this limiter and makes it a potent threat.* In its obsessive dedication to accuracy, ''VideoGame/EuroTruckSimulator2'' imposes the speed limiters required by law in Europe on the game's trucks. [[IAmNotLeftHanded Later versions let you disable the limiter.]] [[PowerIncontinence This generally results in a hard lesson as to ''why'' those laws were made in the first place.]]* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'': Throughout ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2 358/2 Days]]'' and the early part of ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII II]]'', Riku wears a blindfold to suppress his [[CastingAShadow darkness]] and SuperpoweredEvilSide. When fighting Roxas and losing, however, he was forced to remove the blindfold; doing so [[ShapeshifterModeLock traps him in the form of Xehanort's Heartless]], but nonetheless gives him enough power to K.O. Roxas with ease.* The [[PsychicPowers Adepts]] of the Sumeragi Group in ''VideoGame/AzureStrikerGunvolt'' are kept under control through the use of Glaives that contain their extracted septisome, the physical source of their powers. By merging with them in a process similar to the [[Manga/{{Bleach}} Arrancar with their zanpakuto]], they can regain access to their powers [[AmplifierArtifact and then some]] and they can summon them remotely from the Sumeragi Headquarters when needed for combat. [[BigBad Nova]] takes the cake, however, in that he's so strong that he needed ''three'' of these Glaives to restrict his power (most need only one)...and even then he's strong enough that he can rival the power of his strongest underlings when they've ''released'' their Glaive. [[OneWingedAngel His fully-released form]] is compared to [[AGodAmI a god more than a man by both himself and others]].** On the heroes' side, [[spoiler:Asimov's glasses are revealed to be his own special PowerLimiter to hide his [[ShockAndAwe Azure Striker]] Septima, which he has [[PowerIncontinence trouble controlling]]]]. Only a select few amongst QUILL knew about this, and Gunvolt himself only learns about it [[spoiler:when Asimov [[TheGlassesComeOff takes them off]] for the TrueFinalBoss battle]].[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]* Agatha's brooch in ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' inhibits her "[[ScienceRelatedMemeticDisorder spark]]" of [[MadScientist Mad Science]] genius [[spoiler: and later prevents her from being [[GrandTheftMe taken over by her mother]]]].* Kili's [[PowerTattoo tattoos]] in ''Webcomic/TheDragonDoctors'' limit her shaman powers and protect her from [[ISeeDeadPeople insanity through dead people]]. Note that she's still the best shaman in the world, and her tattoos would ''[[PowerNullifier completely negate]]'' the powers of a normal shaman.* Eclair from ''Webcomic/DragonMango'' is always seen wearing armor, which fits her concept as she is a swordfighter. But it's also made of iron, which hurts and weakens an elf (which she is) by its mere touch! She is also a graduate of swordfighting style with an insanely dangerous training method (most students either flee, die or go insane long before completing training) focused on enduring the touch of iron. When she goes up against an extremely powerful enemy, she drops the armor to unleash her ''full'' potential.* Black Mage from ''Webcomic/EightBitTheater'' has a huge amount of untapped potential power that is indicated to be enough to bring about at least ''one'' of the X-clases on the ApocalypseHow scale. How does the universe stop this OmnicidalManiac from destroying all reality? His physical body limits the amount of power he can access. As a result, after [[OhCrap he died the first time]] ([[EvenEvilHasStandards and a large hoard of terrified demons]] and the ''[[PragmaticVillainy villains of the comic]]'' stuck him [[PersonOfMassDestruction back into his physical form]]), the universe has been very careful to make sure he doesn't die.* Kin in ''Webcomic/{{Goblins}}'', as part of her enslavement to Dellyn, has been fitted with a magical leash that suppresses her magic abilities and prevents her from harming anyone else if the leash is being held.* In ''Webcomic/RescuingDara'', like in ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'', Chivais' Everstone prevents her from evolving, which would make her an even more powerful fighter than she already is.* ''Webcomic/DominicDeegan's'' younger brother Gregory learned WhiteMagic while afflicted with blight of the undead, already fairly powerful when the blight got ripped out he released a burst of white fire that healed the gaping wounds in himself and everyone around him. Similarly their mother Miranda the archmage discovered that her power had been limited by a geas from her predecessor and when it was removed her strength was so great as to be unmanageable, a simple energy bolt spell causing a huge explosion.* ''Webcomic/KarinDou4koma'': Seren has to wear one (in the form of bunny/cat ears!) to contain her immense power and allow her to use it for trivial things. Without it, focusing even a little bit of magical energy would make it become a high class magic.* In ''Webcomic/KnightsOfBuenaVista'', Adriana's PlayerCharacter has a 90% chance of accidentally casting magic thanks to MinMaxing. To reduce this, she uses special gloves, and a meditation ability.* In ''Webcomic/{{Sidekicks}}'', alcohol suppresses a supublic's powers. It's the reason why Darkslug [[spoiler:(and later Nightmare)]] is always drinking wine; so they don't [[CurbStompBattle annihilate]] opponents so quickly.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]* The Hawthorne Cottage resident Olympia, from the ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse''. She's an enormously strong brick with energy powers, and she's insane. The school has her wearing a golden 'power armor suit' that she thinks increases her strength. It's a PowerLimiter. Everyone's hoping she doesn't figure this out.* The villain, Wolf from ''Literature/TheDescendants'' has an 'inhibitor' that let's him control his were-wolf like transformations. Unlimited, he turns into a large wolf but is much dumber.* This was the intended purpose the ''Wiki/SCPFoundation'' had for convincing [[RealityWarper SCP]]-[[LittleMissAlmighty 239]] that she was a witch, thus limiting her power to a few "spells" that she needed a book and wand to do. It worked for a while, but then Incident 239-B happened and they just opted to put her in a coma.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]* ''WesternAnimation/ReBoot'': Hexadecimal's]] mask is this, though you wouldn't know it until it comes off. It prevents her nearly unlimited power from overloading her body and exploding.* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'':** In this universe, there's "Fledgling Forbearance", a spell used to curb a foal's PowerIncontinence. It was introduced in the episode "The Crystalling", [[GooGooGodlike Baby Flurry Heart]] has said incontinence to UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom levels, [[spoiler: but she's curbed at the end with Sunburst's help]].** In "Keep Calm and Flutter On", Princess Celestia casts a new spell that prevents Discord from directly stealing his only weakness: the Elements of Harmony. And since doing so was the only way he could freely be a PersonOfMassDestruction in the past, he now has to be an indirect {{Trickster}} to satisfy his [[TheHedonist Hedonism]].* From ''WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce'', Ben gains a new alien form called NRG that comes automatically equipped with a massive metal suit of power inhibiting armor. The reason for this is that NRG's true form is a being of pure nuclear energy who's very presence is dangerous due to emitting high levels of natural radiation. [[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]* The good old human body. Although those stories about a mother lifting a car to save her child are mostly urban legend; scientists estimate that the amount you can lift consciously (say in the gym) is about 2/3 your absolute maximum (before things tear and break) because of built-in limitations. At a lower level things start to hurt, persuading you to stop if carrying on isn't important, a long time before any damage is done. * Ever put a bell on your cat so you'll always know where they are? Well, the things they hunt can tell too, effectively removing their stealthiness. [[CatsAreMean Until the cat learns to silence the bell with a paw.]]* Several real life training methods involve limiting ones power. While most people will think of weighted clothes (vest, ankles, gloves), there is also running underwater, sled dragging, or even practicing certain things at night when your eyes are not as useful.* Many forms automobile racing use [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restrictor_plate restrictors plates]] to limit the air intake, and thus the maximum power output of an engine. ** NASCAR uses them at Talladega Superspeedway and Daytona International Speedway, where they are used to bunch up the field and reduce speeds to prevent cars from going airborne in a wreck (a side effect of this is the likeliness of a large multi-car pileup known as a 'Big One'). This means that incidentally, the restrictor plate races tend to have more lead changes than non-plate races (since drivers have to draft instead of rely on shifting gears), but have larger wrecks.** Other racing sports use restrictor plates to ensure parity or competitiveness between different cars (Le Mans Prototypes, GT racecars).* When you install custom firmware on your router, you can set the transmit power to anything you want.** It's worth noting that setting the power too high will result in the router [[ExplosiveOverclocking quickly frying itself]]. For example, setting a router to 8 times its manufactured limit is quite likely to result in you having a brick in just 6 months time.* Boring ordinary example would probably be Speed Limits. Most vehicles on the road can likely go faster than the legal limit.** This is actually deliberate for two (plausible) reasons:*** After 65MPH/105KM/H, the air resistance imposed on all but the most aerodynamically designed cars ramps up dramatically, thus increasing your fuel consumption by a huge amount. For those who haul large loads with trucks, monitor and note your fuel consumption at 55MPH and 75MPH. Allegedly in the 70s during the fuel crisis, the US imposed a national 55MPH speed limit so people wouldn't eat up as much gas.*** If cars were designed with a top speed just above the speed limit, the engines would run near red line all the time. Redlining an engine is a great way to kill it faster.** Really fancy cars have speed limiting "valet keys" such as the Bugatti Veyron, ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin, it's meant to restrict the car's speed and power when having a valet park drive them which, given the fact the aforementioned Veyron has over 1000 brake-horsepower and tops out somewhere past 250 miles and hour, is a good thing to use when having someone park the car for you.** Motorcycle manufacturers agreed in 2000 to build motorcycles that can't go any faster than 300 km/h for safety reasons. However, they're limited by way of their [=ECUs=], not by design.** Often times there's a rev limiter to prevent redlining or the ECU has imposed limits so it doesn't let you use the full potential of a car... until you unlock it. We could say this is the original jailbreaking/rooting.* Many modern cars these days are also receiving power limiters related to other aspects of performance, notably traction control, which does {{exactly what it says on the tin}}. These will either limit power by restricting the throttle when it detects traction giving, or may apply the brakes automatically on select wheels. Others have a limp mode where if the ECU detects a potentially major engine problem it will ''severely'' restrict engine performance to protect it and put on the Service Engine light. In some manual transmission cars you can induce this behavior by putting the car into too low a gear for your speed and releasing the clutch, forcing the engine to an RPM beyond its redline limiter, which happened on TopGear. DontTryThisAtHome, if you don't know what you're doing you '''''really will''''' destroy your engine. Watching an engine rod shoot through the hood is ''[[UnderStatement not a pleasant sight]]''.** Some tuned cars take this one step further. One such Mercedes featured on TopGear needs its traction control on to floor the gas, otherwise it would just make the tires explode. ''At a standing start.''* The purpose of an anti-lock brake system is to limit the brakes' strength so that they don't overtake the tires' ability to retain traction with the road. Ironically, this ''improves'' the penultimate stopping power of the car, as tire traction is actually ''more'' important for stopping the vehicle.* The [[TankGoodness M1A1 Abrams MBT]] has a "rev limiter" since its jet engine ''doesn't have a max speed'' and the thing will catastrophically fail. [[CaptainObvious That is very bad]].* Military fighters have had limiters of various forms in them for a while, some of which are removed when necessary.** Alpha limiters are commonly found on modern fighter planes, which restrict the rate at which a plane can pitch. Why? Because if you didn't have them they'd pitch so fast that the air flow will no longer be passing through the wings, but rather ''against'' the wings and control surfaces, resulting in a stall. Incidentally this performance characteristic is what enables Pugachev's Cobra and the Kulbit, but can be dangerous in any plane without thrust vectoring, as they lose virtually all control during a stall. It can also lead to undesirable situations, such as if a pilot wants a maximum performance turn to avoid an enemy attack, he may accidentally turn too fast, resulting in a loss of control, and likely a swift death by enemy fire.** More common are soft power limiters on engine thrust, which go all the way back to UsefulNotes/WorldWar2. Pilots are often restricted with how much power they are permitted to draw from their engines during normal operating, and can only call upon maximum power (sometimes called Wartime Emergency Power) in an emergency, such as being engaged by enemy forces. This is because using the engine at full power results in significantly more maintenance when the plane lands, so don't try to do this just because you think no one's looking, the maintenance crew will figure it out pretty quick when you land, and even if they don't, you have to break a physical wire seal on the throttle to access it anyhow, and if you don't have a ''damn'' good reason for it expect a ''very'' thorough chewing out ''at the very least''.* Lawn mowers can jump from about 2 MPH to ''60+'' MPH by removing the limiter. People ''race them''.** And they use the Le Mans start (drivers start outside of their cars at one side of the road, cars at the other side, when flagman waves the green, the drivers run across the track to their cars, hop in, and get them started; this formation was used from the first running in 1924 to 1969). A classic, almost ''regal'' starting formation used to start ''lawnmower'' races. Nothing else needs to be said.* When a top of the line [[CentralProcessingUnit CPU]] or [[UsefulNotes/GraphicsProcessingUnit GPU]] comes back defective, often times the manufacturer puts the settings lower by default or disables sections of the chip that aren't working and sells it as a cheaper model. Some people have found ways to "unlock" unused portions of the chip for more performance. The most famous case of this was with AMD's tri-core processors, which were quad-cores with a defective core. Unfortunately this is a rare thing now, as the section will be completely neutered of its communications. [[note]]This is to prevent people from buying cheaper units and unlocking the defective parts, then reselling them as higher-end models[[/note]]** Thermal throttling. Most modern [=CPUs=] and [=GPUs=] will monitor their internal temperature, and deliberately lower their clock speed and running voltage to protect the chip from damage if it gets too hot.*** Which gave rise to the idea of "turbo clocks". Silicon with this tech can run stably at their "turbo" clock speed, but would exceed the current they're able to handle safely if above a certain core utilization. Thus, they monitor utilization (or in some cases the current draw directly) and adjust clock speed to keep things within spec. This is useful because many applications cannot reach utilization levels above that threshold, so the extra clock gives them a little more oomph.** Intel sells "unlocked" processors, which allows for more overclocking headroom than "locked" processors. The locked part is the frequency multiplier.** Graphics cards from AMD come with different official BIOS/firmware configurations. The default one tries to keeps the card a reasonable temperature and noise levels when running something. The "uber" versions just let the GPU run as fast as it wants within thermal tolerances (i.e., not frying itself).** Cooling systems themselves can be thought as power limiters. Since the only way to increase performance of a part once its in the consumer's hands is overclocking, you can only overclock as much as the cooling system can keep the chip cool (among other factors, but this is the biggest one).* The U.S. Constitution's Bill of Rights acts as one for the American Government. Despite [[CommonKnowledge popular belief]], the Constitution does not "grant" people rights such as Freedom of Speech, but rather asserts the rights as being a natural consequence of the people's existence, and explicitly restricts the ability of lawmakers to interfere with them. The distinctive wording is a big part of why it takes such enormous, coordinated, overwhelming effort (2/3 of Congress and ''3/4'' of states) to add or repeal Constitutional Amendments (so that, unlike actual laws, they can't simply be arbitrated into or out of existence by whichever party happens to hold majority at the time).[[/folder]]----